Burial-casket attachment



F. P. J. SPARMAKER.

BURIAL GASKET ATTACHMENT.

APPMCATION FILED APR. 30. 1919.

"n Zay/3 /7 f, /2'/6, /3/7 /l/z /5 /0 lzy'% PATENTA OFFICE.

FRANK P. J. SPARMAKER, OF AUDUBON, NEW JERSEY.

BURIAL-GASKET ATTACE'MENT.

Application tiled April 30, 1919.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK P. J.. SPAR- MAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of Audubon, county of Camden, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improved Burial- Casket Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention generally stated relates to concealed fastening attachments for covered receptacles and has more especial relation to an attachment of this kind for burial caskets.

The leading object of the present invention may be said to reside in the providing of a concealed fastening attachment for covered receptacles wherein a cover may be moved forwardly to automatically interlock with a receptacle and may only be removed therefrom by first tilting the cover and then subjecting the same to retrograde movement. A further object is to provide concealed fastening attachment of the character stated in which linger-levers, thumbobs and equivalent releasing devices are eliminated. Other and further objects relate to the provision of general details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts with the end in view of commercially -bettering attachments of this character.

The invention consists of the ments hereinafter claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1, is a fragmentary view of the underside of a burial casket lid illustrating in application thereto a pair of spring-detents embodying features of the invention.

Fig. 2, is a similar view, in plan, of the burial casket illustrating in application thereto sockets complemental to the spring detents.

Fig. 3, is a similar view, in longitudinal section, illustrating the manner 0f introducing the spring-detents with respect to the sockets, and

Fig. 4, is a similar view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, illustrating the parts in interlocked position.

For the purpose of illustrating my inimprovedescribed and finally Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 20, 1920.

semi No. 293,687.

vention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

For the purposes of illustrating the application of the attachment of the invention I have shown the same embodied in a burial casket although obviously the attachment of the invention is applicable to other uses. Likewise while the spring detent is shown as being carried by the casket lid and the socket by the casket, obviously these parts may be disposed vice versa and operate equally well. In the drawings 10 designates a casket and 11 its lid. These parts may be of varied design as is well understood in the art. Secured to the underside of the lid 11 are spring-detents of which four as usually employed one adjacent each corner of the lid. The detentsas well as they sockets are preferably stamped out of thin metal and each detent is made up of a plate 12 having struck out therefrom a yielding member 13 fixed to which, in any appropriate manner, is a depending support terminating in a hook-like catch 14. The plate 12 may be secured as by screws 13 to countersunk portions in the underside of the lid and the lid is further recessed to Vpermit movement of the member 13 and its catch 14. The yielding member 13 is so stamped from plate 12 that laterally extended ears 12 are provided, see Fig. 4. As member 13 is bent upwardly these ears are out of alinement with the corresponding cut-away portions 12 of plate 12, see Figs. 1 and 3. Thus depression of member 13 causes these ears to abut with the upper surface of plate 12 to prevent undue depression of the member 13. Complemental to the above described detents are sockets located in the rimof the casket 10. Each socket is made up of a plate 15 having a depressed and inclined portion 16 and a depressed and slotted portion 17, forming a guide-way for the insertion of a catch 14, and further having a depressed, generally rounded protuberance 18 in alinement with said slotted portion. The outer end of the depressed-inclined portion 16 is flared so as to permit the ready introduction of a catch. rIhe plate may be secured to a countersunk portion of the casket rim as by screws 19 the casket rim being further recessed to permit clearance of the catch 14. The manner of fitting the lid 11 to place upon the casket 10 is shown in Fig. 3. The lid is tilted slightly from end to end with one end of the lid resting upon a casket end to properly position the various catches with respect to the sockets and the lid is then lowered and moved forward so that a catch 141- first tracks in the part 16 of a socket, then penetrates a slot 17 and autoi matically engages over a protuberance 18 as the lid is finally pushed to place. In this position the lid is interlocked with respect to the casket against longitudinal and lateral movement and all parts are concealed. To release the interlocking` parts it is merely necessary to first lift one end of the lid so that from end to end it is slightly inclined and then move the lid rearwardly to disengage the catches 14: from the protuberances 18.

It will now be apparent that I have de vised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modilication in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim is 1. In an attachment of the character stated separable elements consisting of a receptacle and cover, a yieldingly mounted detent having a hook-shaped end carried by one of said elements and a socket, having a slotted portion, provided with a rounded protuberance in alinement with but located beyond said slotted portion carrier by the other of said elements, said hook-shaped end of the detent being adapted for passage entirely through said slot for engagement over said protuberance whereby tilting of the @over endwise to partially disengage the detent and shifting of said cover longitudinally causes disengagement of said cover from said receptacle.

Q. In an attachment of the character stated separable elements consisting of a receptacle and a cover, a spring pressed hooklike detent carried by one of said elements and a socket, having a slotted portion, provided with a rounded protuberance in alinement with but located beyond said slotted portion carried by the other of said elements said `socket having an inclined groove leading toward said slotted portion.

3. In an attachment of the character stated separable elements consisting of a receptacle and a cover, a yielding mounted detent carried by one of said elements and a socket, having a groove way which is slotted, provided with a rounded protuberance in alinement with but located beyond said slot carried by the other element said detent being adapted for passage through said slot and shaped at one end to engage over said protuberance and provided at its other end with a shoulder for abutting against an end of said slot to interlock said parts.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK P. J. SPAR-MAKER. 

